Five Tips to Create a LGBTQ+ Inclusive Organization

Creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace is not only the right thing to do, it absolutely makes business sense to do so as well. Why is this? Well, research has shown countless times that diverse and inclusive organizations tend to outperform less-diverse competitors across such factors as revenue and profits. This is largely because inclusive workplaces allow employees to bring their whole selves to work, which ultimately facilitates greater employee engagement (McKinsey, 2020). 

As today’s workplace composition includes a greater number of members of the LGBTQ+ community, it is important that companies adopt practices that will help to facilitate further inclusivity. Below we highlight five powerful actions that companies can take to move the inclusivity needle. 

Update Policies

At the foundational level are policies. While having anti-harassment and non-discriminatory policies are commonplace for employers, organizations should ensure that these policies also protect LGBTQ+ individuals. In short, all individuals—despite their respective sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or lifestyle choices—should be treated with respect. 

Manage Expectations

Beyond the topic of policies and the universal treatment of others with respect come the management of these expectations. Employers should ensure that all employees feel empowered to bring forth concerns and that all organizational leaders have the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities to manage situations when they arise. For those situations that may be particularly more complex, having organizational channels for additional assistance—such as an employee relations department—can be invaluable. 

Make allyship visible

Policies and the management of expectations are important. However, key elements are required in order to make a cultural shift possible. One of these elements is related to allyship. Consider encouraging LGBTQ+ to show their support. This can be as simple as cards or stickers on desks or even more personally-visible items such as rainbow lanyards for employee IDs. In order to shift the culture, it’s also important to ensure that members of the senior leadership team also have visible allyship.

Use Personal Pronouns

We’ve spoken previously on the importance of having a proper definitional foundation for working with members of the LGBTQ+ community. This is because, by using the right terms, we can help work toward an environment that is inclusive and that celebrates diversity by recognizing and speaking to it directly. One other way is by addressing people with their correct pronouns. That is, instead of assuming that all individuals may wish to be referred to as he/him/his or she/her/hers, we should demonstrate respect by using the pronouns that align with each individual. How would you know one’s preferred pronoun? One quick tip is to encourage the addition of preferred pronouns within your team’s email signatures. 

Provide Training

When all else fails, train. Training is a critical component in creating a LGBTQ+ inclusive workforce as it helps to ensure that all employees not only have the same shared understanding of expectation, but also that they feel empowered to act in light of them. Example trainings may include LGBTQ+ terminology, the use of personal pronouns, gender-neutral language, company avenues for reporting concerns, and more. Such training should be offered as part of new hire orientation as well as ongoing annual trainings in order to keep its importance top of mind. 

Reference:

McKinsey & Company (2020). Diversity wins: How Inclusion Matters.